As part of an expert workshop in November 2025 we determined potential interventions and objectives for Fonio (Digitaria exilis) and Jute Mallow (Corchorus olitorius) value chains. We conducted card-based voting (1=low, 2=medium, 3=high impact). We normalized the responses using Percentage of Maximum Possible (POMP) scoring (Cohen et al. 1999) to account for participation rates and enable cross-intervention comparison. We chose the approach to simplify the rating of relationships between objectives, aligning with established participatory methods in rural development (Chambers 1994) and stakeholder engagement metrics (Reed 2009). The work was facilitated by a decision modeling team, including 13 researchers (3 academics, 3 nutritionists, 7 research institution members).
The expert elicited information clarifies what actors in these value chains care about, and what they agree are possible leverage points or interventions to improve the value chains. The voting data clarifies their perception of the strength of the interaction between the interventions and their impact on the outcomes. The bubble graphs show relationships between the mean value for impact and feasibility. Income generation, for example, is considered impact whereas conflict reduction is related to feasibility. The reasoning is related to Keeney’s methods for group decision making (Ralph L. Keeney 2013) and defining objectives (Ralph L. Keeney 2021). This categorization separates what interventions aim to achieve (impact) from how readily they can be implemented (feasibility), supporting balanced decision-making that considers both potential benefits and practical constraints.
An overview of the impact assessment for the Fonio, Digitaria exilis (Kippist) Stapf, value chain, for black and white varieties. Interventions and objectives were identified through expert consultation with 55 participants (16 agricultural institutions, 10 Farmers, 9 consumers, 7 processors, 7 traders, 3 transporters, 4 restaurants and 2 import suppliers). After a day of discussion the experts agreed on a long list of objectives and interventions and then reduced these to the most important:
Comprehensive Impact Matrix Heatmap
This shows the complete assessment - both the stakeholder priorities (weights) and intervention impacts.
The next step was to categorize variables into those related to ‘impact’ and those related to ‘feasibility’:
Impact objectives measure the potential benefits and positive outcomes of interventions: - Income & livelihoods and Nutrition & health represent core development impacts on wellbeing - Ecology captures environmental benefits that contribute to long-term sustainability
Feasibility objectives assess practical implementation considerations: - Production & processing evaluates technical and operational practicality - Equity and Social Inclusion address social and institutional implementation factors
This chart shows the relationship between impact and feasibility for each intervention option, with a weighted composite average score for each. Bubble size represents the total weighted composite score.
# Comparative
investment map by Gender D. exilis
##Value Chain Prioritization for Jute Mallow (Corchorus olitorius)
An overiew of the impact assessment for the Jute Mallow, Corchorus olitorius L., value chain. Interventions and objectives were identified through expert consultation with 50 participants (13 producers, 9 traders, 2 transporters, 2 restaurant owners, 1 processor, 1 micro-financer, 4 consumers, 5 NGOs, 4 administrative authorities, 7 agricultural institutions, 2 import suppliers). After a day and a half of very lively discussion (translated between several local languages and French) the experts agreed on a long list of objectives and interventions and then reduced these to the most important:
This shows the complete assessment - both the stakeholder priorities (weights) and intervention impacts.
The next step was to categorize variables into those related to ‘impact’ and those related to ‘feasibility’:
Impact objectives measure the direct benefits and development outcomes: - Income & livelihoods, Nutrition & health, and Equity represent core wellbeing improvements for communities - Ecology captures environmental benefits and sustainable resource management
Feasibility objectives assess implementation enablers and constraints: - Reduce conflict addresses critical social and operational barriers to implementation - Stakeholders agency evaluates the capacity and readiness of actors to execute interventions
This chart shows the relationship between impact and feasibility for each intervention option, with a weighted composite average score for each. Bubble size represents the total weighted composite score.
# Comparative
investment map by Gender C. olitorius